Victoria Ferguson Biography

Victoria is also establishing her School of Equine Herbal Medicine which will deliver education programs for horse owners, and she is also undertaking a research project into herbal anthelmintics.

As part of her Diploma of Herbal Medicine she completed her human health studies covering anatomy and physiology, chemistry, biochemistry and biology.

She is a member of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society and the Holistic Animal Therapy Organisation.

Victoria’s new book “The Complete Horse Herbal” was published in September 2010 by the Melbourne Publishing Group.  It was written to share with new and old readers alike the substantial extra knowledge she has gained since publication of her first book in 2000. The Practical Horse Herbal was a best seller with 8,000 copies sold in Australia and 1,500  overseas.

It was around this time that Victoria decided she would indulge her lifelong wish to show jump.  She bought a lovely Thoroughbred from Di Dawson which she agisted and trained with George Sanna, who told her she had a hopeless eye and ought to go eventing !  Gambit looked after her brilliantly in both sports.

Victoria decided she wanted to be involved with horses full time so she bought a property in Sydney’s Hills District, and started another business, Horses for Courses, where she bought, sold and trained horses for the Olympic sports, and also became an EFA instructor.  

She has trained with many of Australia’s best - including Clemens Dierks, Heath Harris, Andrew McLean, Edgar Lichtwark, Glenn Fryer and Warrick Cozens.

 It was during this time that she acquired her equine partner extraordinaire, Gamekeeper, who became a brilliant Grand Prix dressage horse. He was a fiery Thoroughbred who inspired a generation of dressage competitors with his international paces and superior ability.  His 14 year career began as a showjumping reject due to his bucking and bad behaviour.  They represented Australia three times – in the Haig, Samsung and Volvo World Cup, and the highlight was their selection on the long list for the Australian Dressage Team to the World Equestrian Games in 1990.

She has completed two Equine Muscle Release Therapy horse owner courses and has a Level 1 Certificate in Equine Photonic Therapy, and uses both these therapies routinely in managing her own horses.

Whilst circumstances have prevented Victoria from competing in dressage in the past 5 years, she is still passionate about dressage riding and training, and has become inspired by the principles of the French master Philippe Karl.  She is currently re-educating her beloved Warmblood gelding APH Fabio in L’Ecole de Legerete (the school of lightness), and has decided to find a young Iberian horse to train from the start using the same methods.